Never Beneath Me
by smartie1685
Summary: AU story set after Beneath You which will eventually be Buffy/Spike


Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy or anyone else from the show they all belong to the creative mind of Joss Whedon.  
  
Summary: AU from the end of Beneath You. I will include most of what happens the rest of the season. Eventually this will be Buffy/Spike and maybe Xander/Anya.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Buffy watched as Spike draped himself over the cross and after the smoke almost covered his side of the room she snapped out of whatever funk she was in. She ran over to suffering vampire and pulled him off the cross ignoring the ripping sounds his skin made as some of it stuck to the structure.  
  
By then Spike had fallen unconscious and Buffy awkwardly hauled him into her arms trying to cause him as little pain as possible. She managed to get him as far as the doorway before his weight and bulk became too hard to carry and she barely managed not to let him drop on his ass.  
  
Considering her options carefully she decided to try the lesser of two evils and call Xander to pick them up. When she was waiting for their transport she examined Spike's wounds and wished that she had possessed the piece of mind to stop him before he made himself into scorched corpse. She was just flabbergasted at what he had confessed to her. He had a soul that he got for her. She knew that no vampire would have ever wanted to even attempt that before Spike did. Smiling at the notion, she admitted that Spike never did do anything that normal vampires did. Interrupting her thoughts Xander pulled up in his car.  
  
"Hey Buff, why did you need me to pick you up at a church?" Xander questioned before noticing Spike, "What happened to him?"  
  
"He decided that a cross would be a nice fashion accessory and I was too slow to stop him." Buffy quipped.  
  
"Whoa why would he do that?"  
  
"Because he has a soul and apparently it's causing him to be a little off center."  
  
"Just a little because I was thinking that he had gone way past the line between sanity and insanity since the way he acted after accidentally hurting Ronnie."  
  
"Yeah well would you help me get Spike into the backseat, Xander? I think that he needs first aid sooner rather than later."  
  
After they finally managed to get him into the car without more damage then was already done they were on their way to Buffy's house. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------  
  
When they arrived at Buffy's house, Xander helped Buffy lug Spike up the stairs to her room without too much argument. Buffy patched Spike up as best as she could and sent Willow out for blood. She tried to stall as long as possible dreading the questions that awaited her downstairs.  
  
Xander and Dawn were discussing the kindest way to ask her about Spike when she came down the stairs.  
  
"So why exactly are you letting a rapist sleep in your bed?" Dawn blurted out giving up on subtlety.  
  
"Two things Dawn; One: he's not a rapist. I stopped him remember. Two: He just told me that he has a soul now and it's causing him to be off balance." Buffy stated trying to keep her level of calm.  
  
"But how do you know he's telling the truth. Maybe he's just faking so he can get on your good side and before you know it we could all wake up with our throats ripped out" Dawn considered what she just said," or we wouldn't wake up but you know what I mean."  
  
Anya, who up until this point had been quietly sitting in the corner observing them or rather being grateful that they weren't talking about her being evil anymore, spoke up "Oh he does have a soul. It's actually very pretty too."  
  
"What? How did you see it?" Xander demanded.  
  
"Vengeance demon, remember. We see things that others don't including souls."  
  
"Wow that's actually pretty cool. When you look at me do you see green energy?" Dawn prodded.  
  
"It doesn't work that way. Only insane people can see you that way."  
  
"Oh so would Spike see me that way now that he's insane."  
  
"Dawn could you not call Spike insane. He's just off kilter."  
  
"You do know that off kilter is just a nicer way of saying insane." Dawn cajoled.  
  
Buffy just attempted to look at her in an 'I'm the mother figure so you should listen to me' fashion, but it ended up being a more like 'Don't argue with the Slayer'. "How about we all sit down to dinner and when Spike wakes up you can discuss it with him, okay?"  
  
Everyone looked at each then at once said, "Fine." 


End file.
